


Chase Away The Cold

by MilkTeaMiku



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Domestic, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Sick Character, Sleepy Cuddles, Sleepy Kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2019-01-09 09:00:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12273171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MilkTeaMiku/pseuds/MilkTeaMiku
Summary: Alec catches a cold but Magnus is there to take care of him.





	Chase Away The Cold

It wasn’t often that Shadowhunters became ill. Runes and angel blood did wonders for a person’s immune system, so illness usually came from addiction or poisonings or wounds. Of course, they weren’t indestructible, and could contract things like colds and fevers and food poisoning if the circumstances were right, but it just wasn’t as common among the Nephilim as it was among Mundanes.

Alec couldn’t remember the last time he was sick. Until that night, anyway.

He blamed the demon hunt Jace dragged him on entirely. His brother was impatient and itching for a fight to work off some steam and Alec couldn’t let him go alone, could he? It was his job as Jace’s older brother and Parabatai to keep him safe, even if that meant venturing out in the dead of winter, with a stormy forecast, to chase demons around the draughty backstreets of New York.

Not his brother’s smartest idea.

He wasn’t impressed, to say the least. Not even runes could have stopped him from catching a cold when he dragged himself home that evening, sopping wet and numb beyond shivering. The hunt had gone just about as well as imagined: terribly. The demons had thought it was the perfect time to come out and play just as the storm decided to hit, which Alec _knew_ would happen. The wind had made it almost impossible to shoot arrows accurately (though he hadn’t missed, not even once. As much as the wind was a problem, he hadn’t said it was _impossible,_ just far more time consuming and strenuous than usual). 

There was a big part of him that wanted to be mad at Jace for being so reckless, but a bigger part of him was just relieved that Jace hadn’t hurt himself. 

But still, he was certain he was sick, and it was incredibly unpleasant.

The loft was quiet when he managed to finally get himself inside. Magnus’s wards never turned him away, and the door was never locked for him, but he was struggling to see straight and for a moment he swore there were four doors instead of one. 

He was dripping all over the floor when he entered. The sight of all that grime in Magnus’s home made him wince with guilt. He heaved off his quiver and set it down with his bow against the entryway wall. Getting his shoes off proved to be much more difficult. As soon as he bent over, his head spun, and he groaned in pain.

“Alexander?”

Alec blinked, feeling oddly dazed as he braced himself against the wall. He glanced up just as Magnus came sweeping out of the living room. He was dressed comfortably, in his softest pyjamas and a silky blue robe with a golden pattern too complicated for Alec’s eyes to take in. He still had his hair spiked up and kohl around his eyes, but he looked soft and warm and sleepy. It was enough to make Alec feel a sharp jolt of longing.

“Alexander, darling, you’re a mess,” Magnus said, as a frown touched his lips. “Are you alright?”

“Don’t feel well,” he grunted, as he turned his attention back to his shoes again. A wave of vertigo washed through him, but Magnus was suddenly there, his fingers tight around Alec’s arms as he fought to keep him upright.

“I can see that,” Magnus said. He encouraged Alec to put an arm around him. The strength in Magnus’s body always surprised Alec; there were well-used and well-maintained muscles that one might not expect under all that fancy jewellery and glitter. “Come on darling, I think you deserve a hot bath and some rest.”

Alec only grunted again. He let himself be dragged towards the bathroom, but lost energy with each step, until Magnus was all but carrying him. In some distant part of his mind he knew he was getting filthy water all over the floor and soaking through Magnus’s nice clothes and another ripple of guilt went through him. “Sorry,” he slurred. He wasn’t quite sure which part he was apologising for.

“Nonsense,” Magnus said. He snapped his fingers when they reached the bathroom and the tub began to fill with steaming water. After a moment of hesitation, he snapped his fingers again, and all of Alec’s gear disappeared, thigh holster and shoes included. He blinked and they’d filled the washing hamper (something that was rarely used when Magnus could just magic clothes clean… or new clothes altogether). He was too exhausted to be embarrassed by his sudden state of undress, and Magnus didn’t mention it. “In the bath you go.”

Alec all but moaned as he sunk into the hot water. The temperature made his skin tingle in the best way possible after spending a night in the rain. A soft scent rose with the steam, soothing his nose and head. His eyes fluttered, and he couldn’t help but sink further into the tub, his legs folding to give himself more room. His head lolled back, and he blinked blearily at Magnus, who was seated beside the tub watching him.

“Rough hunt?” Magnus asked. He absentmindedly waved a hand over the water, and Alec’s skin began to tingle again as the dirt and grime on him was washed away. If he were a cat he would have been purring by then.

“You could say that,” he said. His voice was getting raspy. “It stormed. I think I’m sick.”

Concern flickered through Magnus’s eyes, but he hid it with a gentle smile, and used a hand to push Alec’s hair back away from his forehead. “My poor Shadowhunter,” he murmured, as he kissed between Alec’s brows, gentle. “Tip your head back darling, I’ll wash your hair.”

Alec complied without much of a fuss. Magnus conjured up a fancy jug with a curved, silver handle and carefully ran cupful after cupful of water through Alec’s tangled locks. The careful motions threatened to send him to sleep and in moments his eyes were drooping. He tried to keep them open, but the only thing that held his gaze for more than a few seconds was Magnus’s handsome face, and after a while of dazed staring he could see Magnus was becoming a little embarrassed.

“Sorry,” he said again.

“Don’t be,” Magnus reminded him. “Feel cleaner?”

Alec nodded.

“Alright, good,” Magnus said. He set aside the jug and drained the bath as he helped Alec stand. “Look at you, you’re all shaky.”

“I’m tired,” Alec said in his defence. He felt like his legs were going to cave in at any moment.

Magnus conjured a fluffy towel and wrapped it around Alec’s shoulders. “Get yourself dried off while I grab your pyjamas, hmm? I’ll be back in a flash.”

Alec sat on the edge of the tub and did as he was told. Without the warmth from the bath water he could feel a chill creeping across his skin, and it made him sneeze. Once he’d started, he found it difficult to stop. Water dripped from his hair into his eyes, only complicating matters. He rubbed the towel through his hair and over his face but it did little to chase away the cold.

Magnus returned faster than Alec thought he would, even though their bedroom was right through the door. His face was pinched with concern and the sound of Alec’s sneezes only worsened his expression. “I wasn’t aware that Shadowhunters could catch colds,” he said. He was trying to tease, and the lightness in his voice did made Alec feel better. He couldn’t help but clutch at Magnus as soon as the Warlock was close enough.

“Happens every now and then,” he said. He pressed his forehead against Magnus’s chest and closed his eyes. “It sucks.”

Magnus ran his fingers through Alec’s hair, scratching at his scalp with careful fingertips. “My poor darling,” he murmured. “I hate seeing you so miserable. Let’s get you to bed, hmm?”

Bed sounded like heaven right then. There was something sinfully magical about Magnus’s bed that ruined every other bed in existence for Alec. It was so unlike the standard, hard mattresses all Shadowhunters got at the Institute that Alec struggled to believe it wasn’t something made from magic. Magnus had assured him, of course, that it was not, but rather he had exquisite tastes and the budget to accommodate. His bed certainly reflected that, with its luxurious silken sheets and mountain of cloud-soft pillows and a mattress that felt like the softest hug in the world.

Alec never struggled to sleep in Magnus’s bed.

After changing into his pyjamas – an old shirt and worn sweatpants – Alec was shuffled along to bed and tucked beneath the covers. Even just lying down made him feel a hundred times better now that the blood was no longer rushing away from his head. He let out a ragged sigh as he turned his face into the pillows, inhaling all the little scents that made up _Magnus,_ like the lingering waft of his favourite cologne and his sandalwood shampoo and something very _real_ and musky that he thought was probably sweat but he liked anyway.

Magnus crawled into bed beside him, though he remained above the covers for now. He put a warm hand on Alec’s chest, now free of his heavy rings, and rubbed gentle circles. A spark of blue danced between his fingers, and Alec felt a tense knot in his chest slowly unravel. He let out an easier sigh.

“You’re magical,” he murmured.

Magnus laughed quietly. He tucked an arm under Alec’s head and held him close, letting Alec curl against him, small and vulnerable and aching. “I can’t heal you perfectly, but I can make a start,” he whispered against Alec’s temple. 

Alec curled an arm around Magnus’s waist, his fingers clenched in Magnus’s blue robe. “Don’t waste your magic on me,” he said. “I’ll be fine eventually.”

“Darling, it’s hardly a waste,” Magnus promised him. As if to prove his point, he ran his splayed hand down Alec’s chest again, and another soothing tendril of magic flooded through him. Alec sighed in pleasure as his entire body went lax. Magnus trailed his fingertips back up Alec’s chest, over his neck and up his jaw. The heat in his head started to lull, enough for Alec’s eyes to flutter closed and open again without any wince of pain.

A small part of him was still amazed that he had such a wonderful person to come home to – that this loft, with Magnus, had become _home._ Even if he was dirty or injured or sick Magnus wouldn’t turn him away, and that was something Alec was only sure of if it was Magnus he was considering. No one else would treat him so gingerly, like he would break with the slightest touch. Everyone thought of him as a soldier, as the Head of the Institute. That was who he was. 

But he was also just Alec, just one man, and he craved comfort and security and Magnus never judged him for that. He let Alec feel as small as he wanted, as needy as he wanted, and always knew what he needed most.

And in that moment, he just needed Magnus.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I know, darling,” Magnus chuckled. “I love you too.”

Alec smiled, feeling a little dopey. He turned his face into Magnus’s neck. “You won’t get sick from me?”

“No.”

He nodded, relieved, and closed his eyes. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Alexander.” Magnus pressed another tender kiss to his forehead. “Sleep now, so you’ll feel better in the morning." 

Alec clutched at Magnus tighter, determined to keep a hold on his beautiful Warlock all night. He didn’t feel like it was possible that he could fall even deeper in love with Magnus, and yet he had, and did, every single night. And with every sweet little kiss that Magnus laid on his forehead, luring him to sleep, he fell in love even more.

**Author's Note:**

> I love writing for this pairing, even if it's for overdone (but well-loved) tropes ❤ I'm open for suggestions for this pairing over on my [tumblr,](http://milkteamiku.tumblr.com/) so feel free to send one ^^


End file.
